NHTSA Complaint #723535 — 1999 MERCURY COUGAR

CAR STALLS FOR NO APPARENT REASON. IT WILL LOSE POWER AS IF OUT OF GAS. RPM'S WILL REV UP HIGH AND CAR WILL ACT AS IF IT IS IN NEUTRAL. WHILE TRAVELING AT 70MPH , THE CAR WOULD HESITATE SEVERELY AND ACT AS IF IT WAS GOING TO SHUT DOWN. IT WOULD CONTINUE TO DRIVE , BUT SPEED WOULD GET SLOWER AND SLOWER BUT THE RPM'S WOULD KEEP GOING UP AND DOWN. WHEN CAR COMPLETELY STALLS , IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN. ONCE IT IS STARTED, IT WILL DRIVE FINE FOR ABOUT ANOTHER WEEK. THE CAR HAS STALLED AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. IT HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES AND THE CAR BECOMES HARD TO CONTROL IN TRAFFIC. THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, THEREFORE UNABLE TO FIX IT. OTHER MINOR PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN THE HATCH NOT OPENING DUE TO LEAKING STRUT. TOOK 2 ATEMPTS BY THE DEALER BEFORE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. CD PLAYER WENT OUT AND SUN ROOF WOULD NOT OPEN. *AK